"China’s expat scene is like a great big rowdy saloon from America’s Wild West days, with dusty explorers, try-your-luck prospectors and even the occasional outlaw laowai riding in from the hazy horizon..."

In this interview Tom Carter discusses American expat life in China as seen through the stories told in his anthology Unsavory Elements. The book, and Tom's views, are highly controversial and stir polemics from all quarters - except the Chinese themselves, which makes it all a little like like one-handed ping pong (this may change with a translation into Chinese). Concerned Americans should pay attention to how their country is being represented in China, as elsewhere; this interview and the book Unsavory Elements offer some insight into what may have become representative behaviour of at least some Americans in China.

As I am a contributor to this book, I would like to say that reading the above commentary by Tom Carter, brought on a heavy feeling of disappointment when I got to this part:

Indeed, many of this anthology’s most respected writers such as Peter Hessler and Michael Meyer got their start as English teachers in China. And yet there is this stigma surrounding English teaching where we are utterly despised by the white-collar expatriate community and even by our own Department of State.

I lived in China close to five years and I didn't feel any such division between the expat teachers and the "white-collar expat community", of which I'm guessing is the category I fell into. We frequently shared tables on the same restaurant corners, we hung out in the same clubs, and quite a few of my friends were ....gasp.....teachers! If there was a stigma there, I never knew it. But then, I've been taught to treat and judge people by who they are and not what role they fill.

My own contribution to the book has been criticized but I'm glad it stayed because there are many, many different ways to experience China. And the way that I chose to spend my time there, while very different than Tom and others' stories, was right for me and I wouldn't change a thing.

What you'll find in this book is a wide range of characters, aka: expats, and how each person's perspective on the life, customs, and people of China is portrayed. It's an interesting study on humanity and how we are all very different creatures, some choosing one way to spend their time while others go in the absolute different direction.

To some extent, I think your cross-laowai experience is a bit unique Kay, as there definitely is a bit of a dividing line between "white-collar expats" and "lowly ESL teachers". I'm not sure that it is 100% the "utterly despised" direction that Tom lays out, as I think a fair amount of it is a bit of self-depreciating humour and emotions from the ESL expats themselves coupled with a bit of envy for the easier life of drivers, ayis and 40 RMB pints, that helps along the division.

Interestingly, I believe we both lived in Suzhou at the same time, and I was likely an ESL teacher for at least part of that time. The sheer economics of geography in the city tend to divide the two groups, with the white-collared managers and Tai Tais living out in nice apartments (or villas) in SIP and SND, with the vast majority of ESL teachers regulated to working and living in less expensive housing either downtown or on the fringes of the nicer areas. And while surely there is some overlap (white-collar slumming, or special nights out for the ESL teachers), largely even the restaurant scene is split, with the wealthier sticking to Time Square and Ligongdi, and English teachers getting what they can from the Shiquan Jie offerings.

I just completed the book this morning (thoroughly enjoyed the very touching "The Shoe" by the way), and agree that it's a great collection of stories from a wide range of characters.

Thanks for your response. But just to clarify, when I left Suzhou there still wasn't a Times Square area. That was added later. I don't know what Ligongdi is. Most of our meals as a family (when going out) were on simple Singa Plaza, amongst the teachers because they lived in the apartment complexes just behind Singa Plaza. On weekends, we also tended to eat from Shiquan Jie or have get-together's at each others homes, and now that I think of it, the 'home' gatherings usually didn't include any teachers that I remember. So perhaps part of Tom's initial comment is correct, but like you mentioned, it went both ways. I was told by a friend of mine who was a teacher that she loved teaching in China but hated how they were forced to live together, eat together, hang together...that it felt too much like camp, and included just about as much drama. She wanted 'away' from the other teachers.

With the new housing rules implemented for teachers after I left, I can see how the teacher/wc expat scenes would be considered very divided. I remember the teachers I knew weren't happy about being forced to housing way outside of town, but it hadn't happened yet. Ironically, if they had moved in while I was there, we would've been neighbors, as our house was located very close to the new campus they were preparing for teachers.

Back to the book, I actually haven't dug in yet and read all the stories. I plan to do that this weekend and can't wait to see what else is in there. Each contributor had a unique experience in China so the book has something for everyone.

Lastly, while I don't agree with every contributor's take on China, I can still respect it. ~